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Social media is a powerful tool for activists and consumers to share ideas and information. With social networking sites reaching more than 4.8 billion users worldwide, they have tremendous power to start or influence trends and social movements.
Social media trends and social movements may have similar aims, but they are very different in how they are executed and their overall impact. Understanding these differences is key to incorporating trends and movements into your brand’s social media strategy, which can help you reach a larger audience and build a more loyal following.
Social media trend vs. social media movement
Social media trends and movements are used to attract users’ attention, but their strategies and overall goals may differ. Before diving into the differences between the two, here is a brief definition of each:
Social media trend
A social media trend is when a specific topic suddenly surges in popularity. They are often sparked by a current event or a flashy new product that people are excited to share on social media. Trends usually only last for a few weeks, but during that short period, you can use them to increase brand awareness and drive traffic to your social media channels.
Social media movement
A social media movement is an organized effort to reach a specific goal or raise awareness for a specific issue. They are usually longer-term initiatives that can last for months or even years, and they can significantly impact society by calling for real change in the world and sometimes even sparking revolutions.
Spotting the differences between a social media trend and a movement
For many small business owners, social media is a central communication platform and a significant source of income. This means it is critical to stay current on what is happening on these platforms at all times to capitalize on current trends and movements.
However, before you can start incorporating trends and movements into your social media strategy, you need to identify their differences, as they each warrant different responses.
Some of the easiest ways to differentiate between a social media trend and a movement include:
Posting for “clout”
The term "clout" refers to the power and authority of a social influencer or a social media trend. It is often used about social media posts that are purely for attention, with no real purpose behind them. If a business or influencer posts a photo for “clout,” they are likely not trying to inspire social change. Instead, the post is part of their short-term strategy to increase engagement on their account or draw attention to a particular product/event.
When businesses and influencers make these posts, they almost always take advantage of social media trends, not movements. For example, brands might promote a new product on TikTok by capitalizing on the "Let Me Show You How" trend to show users how to use the new product.
Jumping on these trends can be a great way to boost engagement and brand awareness. However, it's a short-term strategy that usually lasts only as long as a particular TikTok sound is trending. Once the trend has passed, you will need to quickly pivot to jump on the next one.
Community building
Social media movements are often focused on building a community of like-minded individuals. These communities then work towards specific goals, such as bettering certain aspects of society, educating the public on a certain topic, or inspiring people to take action.
Businesses can also become involved in relevant social movements. For instance, if your brand prides itself on being cruelty-free, you can collaborate with other cruelty-free brands to start a social media movement to educate the public on why we shouldn’t test products on animals. In doing so, you will build a community of like-minded people who can share advice, inspire each other, and further the cause. And as an added benefit, you will form a stronger relationship with your followers.
Broadcasting vs. engaging
Another way to tell the difference between a social media trend and a movement is to pay attention to whether an account engages with its followers or simply broadcasts to them.
Brands that post for the sake of posting are more likely to follow current trends just to increase their follower count. Rather than engaging with their followers, they just broadcast content to them and aren’t interested in starting genuine conversations.
Brands that want to participate in a movement will focus more on actively listening to their audience rather than simply posting one-sided content. They might take the time to answer their followers’ questions or encourage their audience to share their experiences. This is often viewed as a more genuine approach, and it usually yields strong results in the long run because it allows you to build a stronger relationship with your followers.
Boost your social media strategy with help from the BBB
Taking advantage of trends and movements to improve your brand is just the tip of the iceberg regarding your social media strategy. With so many potential approaches to social media, it can be difficult to know where to begin. Still, with proper research, you can create an effective social media strategy to promote and grow your business.
Need help with building a social media strategy and increasing your engagement? Then check out the BBB business news feed for more great resources!